Classic Cars, Serving Dishes and Talents

Last week when I was working out I overheard the following conversation between two guys that were in
the gym.

Guy #1 – “Hey is that your mustang out there in the parking lot?”
Guy #2 – “Yes.” He went on to tell the model and other details about the car that really meant nothing to
me due to my lack of knowledge of (or interest in) classic cars.
Guy #1 – “That’s a great car. Do you drive it often?”
Guy #2 – “No. It’s only got 44,000 miles on it. I usually keep it in the garage. My son’s car is in the shop
so he had to drive another one of our cars.”
Guy #1 – “You wouldn’t let him drive that one?”
Guy #2 – “No way. I’m not letting him drive it. I can’t wait to get it back home in the garage and put the
cover back on it.”

What? Put it back in the garage and put the cover back on it? Seriously? Apparently, to the trained
eye, this is a really nice car. Yet, he wants to keep it covered up in his garage. Why have it at all?
OK, I totally get why he does that. I’m not very schooled in cars, but I do work at a Convention Center
and we have an annual car show. I’ve seen these people before. They spend hours with a bottle of
Windex on a car that has never seen the light of day. Most of the cars are driven out of a trailer when
they arrive at the exhibit hall. The owners have this wonderful treasure that they are proud of and they
kind of want to show it off, but don’t you dare touch it. And, please don’t let it rain (or snow..the show is
always in January) before, during or after the show.

Of course, when I heard this conversation, I immediately thought of the parable of the talents and
the “one talent man.” He certainly took good care of his talent. He didn’t squander it or use it frivolously.
Surely he had good intentions. The Bible tells us that he was afraid so he hid it in the ground. He didn’t
want to lose what he’d been entrusted with. However, the other two servants did the exact opposite.
They put their money to work and doubled it. As a result they were entrusted with even more. If you’ve
read this account in the Bible you know what happened to the “one talent man.” His plan for holding onto
that one talent was not a good one.

I can relate somewhat to “Guy #2” and even the “one talent man.” I have a beautiful glass serving
dish that belonged to my great-grandmother. It probably doesn’t have any real monetary value, but
to me it has great sentimental value. I rarely use it because I don’t want it to get broken. It sits on my
kitchen counter most of the time, just holding potatoes or onions. I’m hesitant to take it to a church
potluck or even a family get together. It’s special to me because it represents a connection to a special
person in my family. I’m afraid that using it will ruin it. I wonder what my great-grandmother would
think about that. Would she be sad or disappointed because I haven’t really enjoyed the serving dish?

What about God? How does He feel when he sees us burying our “talents?” He’s given us each unique
personalities, skills, abilities, interests and desires. If we focus on these and channel them in the right
direction we can do amazing things for His Kingdom. However, when we ignore the gifts He has given us
we are just like the “one talent man.” If we don’t use what we’ve been given we can’t grow.
Not only will we not grow, but like the “one talent man” we are risking our eternal salvation by not obeying
God and using what he’s given us.

How are you using your “talents"?

Matthew 25:14-30